Morning Fellow Brewers, I am looking to try brewing my own beer for the first time. What is the best set up to get started with and why? Price is not necessarily a concern. Also fully understand that my first few batches will likely be disasters as I figure the process out. Look forward to everyone's feedback. Cheers Matt
Others will point you to some starter equipment setups. I'll just say that you ought to read "How to Brew," either the free (but dated) online version at www.howtobrew.com or the updated print version (available at Amazon and elsewhere). It will provide you with the minimum essential knowledge you'll need to make a good beer from the start. There's no reason your first few batches have to be disasters, as you say. "How to Brew" will also show you what equipment you'll need.
Welcome to this great hobby. Your question comes up on a regular basis, so here is a link to a search that I did of this forum asking for thread titles that have 'equipment' in the wording. These threads should be a lot of help to you. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/search/66202454/?q=equipment&o=date&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=8 You can also do a search for thread titles that use 'newbie' or 'noobie' or 'beginner' etc. I agree with @VikeMan that your first brews do not have to be a disaster, and reading the How To Brew book will go a long way to prevent that. Good luck.
“How to Brew” has a lot of great info, but can be overwhelming to a newbie. I learned at the feet of Charlie Papazian, “The Joy of Homebrewing.” Highly recommended. FWIW
Think about it after you check out the suggested readings. First being extract Or all grain and second being batch size. Stupid and annoying to buy equipment only to have to upgrade in a few months.
I recommend having both books in your library. They both have a lot of great information. Palmer is more of a numbers and science based approach, and Papazian is more of a 'feel' guy. Neither one is wrong. Also, there are a ton of setups available, depending on how much stuff you currently have, ranging from a couple buckets and hoses, to a turnkey system for thousands of dollars. I recommend brewing a couple extract kits to start, then move into partial mash and all grain. The most important things to remember in brewing are sanitation, yeast health, sanitation, temperature control, sanitation and sanitation. Finally, see if there are any local home brew shops (LHBS) nearby, and if there are clubs. See if they are having a Big Brew Day event (early May) and see if you can tag along with experienced brewers.
i just started brewing about 4 months ago. So welcome to the hobby! I didn't read if you were doing all-grain or extract brewing but depending on your preference the kits will vary. I think whatever site you look on "beginner kits" usually contain the same thing. Pot,spoon,carboy,siphon,sanitizer,bottling supplies. This is the basic that i started with extract. all-grain,BIAB will require different equipment. Since then i have moved on to BIAB(brew in a bag) and am finding myself needing to upgrade most of my equipment as far as brew pot and carboy to 3-5 gallon capacity. My advice on this would be to think about what you plan on brewing 6 months to a year from now and invest in that equipment early. Read the books that have been recommended in previous post and YouTube the hell out of all the brew videos you find and of course visit BA daily.
